


Children of the moon

by Teddymeastrid



Category: Harry - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Animagus, Animagus Harry Potter, Animals, Children, Cute, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Growing Up, Halloween, Happy Ending, Horror, Love, M/M, Magic, Marauders, Marauders' Era, Moon, Moonlight, Protection, Werewolf Turning, Werewolves, Young Remus Lupin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-08-17 06:19:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16510952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teddymeastrid/pseuds/Teddymeastrid
Summary: Remus Lupin is all alone trying not to lose himself as he turns every month. His parents try to protect him, but they don't really know how to protect him from himself. Can anyone help Remus? Does he have to help himself?





	1. The white wolf

Remus lupin cries out on pain as his bones break one by one. He can feel every single one as they break and rebuild inside of him. There is no sound coming from his mouth though. No way for anyone to hear how much pain he is in. His fathers spells had worked yet again. Another wave of pain hits him and he crawls into a ball on the floor as he spasmically reaches for the metal rod that attaches to the wall and chains him in place. He needs something to hold on to. The rod is ice cold against his feverish skin. 

"Reeeeeemuuuus". A voice cries out from the windowsill, where the moonlight flows through the cracks of the iron bars that cover the window. He claws his way to the darkest part of the basement, trying to hide in the shadows from his inevitable fate. He tries to shut her out by putting his hands over his ears, but her voice is soft as butter and glides through his fingers.   
"Reeeeeemuuuuuus, come out and play!" The moonlight stretches towards him and fills the room up entirely.   
"Mum!" He cries, but nothing comes out yet again. The shadow of a girl is shown in front of the gitter. 

"It's time, Remus", the little girl snarls. And his hand starts to grow claws and hair. He's losing control of himself. The shadow transforms with him. And a paw reaches out through the gitter. As he fully transforms, his scream becomes a howl and the spell is broken.   
"Come with me, Remus!" The girl yells. He tugs on the chains and then rips the rod from the wall. It falls to the ground and his ears fill with sound. He's stunned for a moment, but the girl calls him again. He wants to leave with her, more than anything in the entire world, but he knows he shouldn't. There is a fight inside of him, between Remus and the werewolf. They are two separate minds sharing one body. But Remus is not in control of his body, he can only watch as he breaks his chains and then destroys the window. He hears the door unlock from the outside of his prison and his father shouting his name, but he is uncapable of responding. He can only run. 

His legs take him far away from the house. The moon shines brightly from above, leaving him almost blinded. He uses his nose and ears for navigation as he sprints into the dark forest that surrounds their house. At first he is all alone, but then a white wolf runs up next to him. It looks like it is glowing in the light from the moonlight. 

"You made it out! I'm so proud of you, my son!" It is the same voice from before. She sounds happy now. And Remus thinks he could get used to this freedom.   
"Now i need you to hunt". Her glee becomes a growl and she shows off a perfect row of pearl white teeth. Remus feels his stomach turning. Like he's grinding stone against stone. He was starving. And in his hunger, he slipped further into madness, into a beast. His senses heightened and he could hear the thunder of a heart beating rapidly and blood flowing through a body. Warm, tasty, delicious blood... no, he had to stop. He couldn't kill anything. He shouldn't kill anything.

"Find it, feast on fresh, warm meat". Her whispers were like mermaid song in his ears. He couldn't resist it. So again he leapt forward, trying to find this innocent creature so he could stop feeling so empty. And just as he entered a clearing, he saw it. A rabbit, figting to get out of a trap. His mouth is watering as he slowly circles his pray, making the circle smaller and smaller.  
"Stupefy!" Someone yells and he is trapped for a second. Enough time for them to tie him up with chains, this time his whole body is covered so he won't get out. He snarls and fights as he falls to the ground. The white wolf quickly disappears into the shadows of the night.


	2. The visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are calming down, but someome is here to see Remus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter is so short

He opens his eyes to the sun glaring at him, the light blinding him for a few seconds before he got used to it. His mom looks worriedly at him from a distance, as if he could bite her head off at any time.   
"Do you feel ok, honey?" She smiles, but it's not a real smile, Remus notices rather easily. He nods and smiles back with an equal amount of enthusiasm.   
"Can you remember what happened last night?" She whispers, almost choking on her words.   
He stops to consider telling her the truth.  
"No mum, I do not". He says instead. She sighs, as if it gave her comfort to think he didn't remember.   
"Come on, let's get you cleaned up", she says and gets up, holding out her hand for him to take. He does so with care, visualizing the rabbit and how he'd wanted to tare it apart. And he was scared of himself because in that moment he hadn't cared at all. 

Remus sat in his room, reading Einstein in the windowsill, silently cursing the moon as he did so. He tried to understand how science and magic were connected, because he knew that somehow they were, wierder still is that it was mostly genetic, but not entirely.   
Deep in thought, he hears a faint knock on the door. And his mothers nervous hello. Remus closes the book and walks up to the almost closed door to listen more closely.  
"I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster at Hogwarts school for witchcraft and wizardry. Pleased to make your aquaintance, Hope Lupin". She pulls herself together. Remus can feel her back straighten before she anwsers, her voice three pitches higher than normal.  
"And what brings such a high ranking wizard to my doorstep?" She asks.   
"Maybe we should not talk about this in the doorway, Mrs. Lupin. And you Remus, can stop hiding now and join us because this concerns you. And I think you should be a part of the desicion". The door shrieks as Remus opens the door and walks downstairs. He is certain Dumbledore has come to take him away, lock him up and perform experiments on him. But he has been through worse. Without a doubt. He could walk in there and act like he wasn't scared to death no problem. He takes his own shaking hand and enters the livingroom where Dumbledore sits alone in his fathers favorite chair. His mom is in the kitchen, persumably making tea.


	3. I got in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus talks to Dumbledore.

"Come sit dear Remus", Dumbledore says with a smile. Remus cautiously takes a few steps forward and takes a seat the furthest away from the professor that he can get, at the very edge of the seat.   
"Now, now, no need to worry dear boy. I will tell you, before your parents get back so you won't have to wonder". He says and finds a letter in his sleeve. He snatches it out of the professors hand and hurries back to his seat. He reads out loud   
"to Remus Lupin... From Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry". He quickly opens the letter to read the welcome note. 

"I got in? I actually got in!?" He is exstatic for a moment, until he stops to again watch the professor who is now smiling from ear to ear.   
"It's not often I get to see someones reaction to getting in. It is a blessing every time..." his voice trails off, as if he remembered something, but the expression on his face disappears as quickly as it got there.   
"You do know about Remus' condition, right?" His mom says from the kitchen door. Dumbledore nods.   
"That has been accounted for, yes. I promise your boy will be in good care at Hogwarts mrs. Lupin". She sighs in relief. 

"Let's just wait for Lyall to get back home so we can talk together. I am afraid I am not an expert on the matter". Dumbledore frowns.  
"I believe no one is, mrs. Lupin". He says and looks at Remus curiously. Which makes Remus wonder what exactly he had meant when he's said "in good care at Hogwarts".


	4. A new beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus is sitting on the Hogwarts express.

Remus is sitting alone, staring out the window on the moving train, making himself as little as he can. Kids are running around the corridor, yelling and screaming like children do. It terrified Remus because he knew he wasn't like them. Like none of them. The first and only werewolf attending Hogwarts, he thought to himself. His stomach twisted. He was used to being alone, but at the same time he dreaded the idea. 

His father had gladly told Dumbledore that Remus was his responsibility now. Not because he didn't love Remus (he hoped), but because they couldn't handle him anymore. Which was both great and really sad for Remus because he had never felt this alone before. 

As that thought was aired, the door opened. He hastily turned and backed up against the wall. A chubby, short boy entered shyly, peeping through the door with his head first, followed by his body.   
"Hello, i am sorry to bother you, sir, but I couldn't help but notice you were sitting alone. And I'm alone too. So I thought I'd introduce myself". Remus stared at the new character, not sure how to react, because although his parents had in fact taught him manners, he didn't really know how to talk to people hos age, least of all someone whom had just called him "sir". 

The boy closed the door behind him and unsteadily held out his hand for Remus to take.   
"I... I'm Peter, Peter Pettigrew". Remus, just as shyly took the boys' hand and said with the most confident voice he could muster "Remus Lupin, nice to meet you". 

"Wwhich Hogwarts house ddo you want to bbe put in?" Peter says as he sits down opposite of Remus.   
"Honestly, I wouldn't mind any of them. I'm just glad to be here", said Remus and looked at a confused Peter.   
"Because"... he continued, "all the houses have traits that are good in their own way. Who wouldn't want to be kind like a hufflepuff, smart like a ravenclaw, cunning like a slytherin and brave like a gryffindor all in one person?". Peter looks down. It doesn't seem like he's ever thought you could be all of those things.   
"But I think I'd like to be in gryffindor the most", he added. He didn't give any reason, because he didn't really have any.   
"So do I then!" Peter excaimed.   
"Why?"  
"Because I wanna be brave". Peter smiled, but looked down at his feet.   
"You will be!" Remus said confidently, not sure hw actually believed it. 

The train finally came to a stop and students were rushing out, but everyone seemed to come to a halt as they saw the huge shadow of the castle against the night sky, ever so slightly lit up by the moon. Only a few days left for the next time, he noted.   
"It's like a painting", Peter whispered to Remus. And Remus made an unidentifiable noice in return.   
"Ok everyone, gather by the docks now, quickly!" A voice said over the hum of eager children, and they all ventured forth. 

Remus tried to keep close to Peter through the croud, but they were quickly whisked away from one another and soon he saw Peter already in a boat headed towards the castle without him. He sighed and looked around for anyone else who looked interesting, but none really caught his eye.   
"In to the boat you go, little man". The same voice as before said, and he was helped aboard.

He found himself staring right at a boy with long, black hair and grey eyes that looked like they were glowing from the light of the lantern attached to the boat.   
"Hi", said the boy whom those eyes belonged to.   
"Sirius at your service". He grinned.


	5. Hero of the day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus talks to Sirius about James.

Remus, not sure how to react, reaches out his hand. The boy looks at him, bewildered.   
"Remus", he says. Sirius eventually takes his hand.

"Where are your friends?" Sirius asks. Remus again doesn't quite know how to react.   
"I don't have any yet". He says.   
"You do now", Sirius anwsers and is back to grinning again. Remus nods exitedly.

After a few short moments of silence, Sirius starts to talk about his amazing friend James, whom he met on the train. How they both seemed to be best friends immediately and how he felt everything was going to be great from then on.  
"You'll have to meet him, Remus! You two will love each other!" He looked at the castle and whispered into the air "I hope". 

"Hey, did i tell you about the other two we met on the train? There was this pretty girl and a thot with black grimy hair". Remus stopped listening after that, his thoughts trailing off to the moon and how he wished to have real friends that he could trust. He liked Sirius a lot and he was in fact exited to see James too, but he kept wondering if maybe he was being naive about having friends. Was he even allowed to?

Sirius stopped talking. And stretched his neck towards Remus until he was very close to him.  
"Looking a little lost there bud". He said, and Remus jumped.   
"Oh, I'm so sorry, just a lot of impressions all at once I guess". He smiled and Sirius smiled back, then Sirius continued his single stream of thought across the lake.

Well there, they walked out of the boat to find a gang of kids gathered around something, yelling and screaming. A black haired kid walked into the middle of the croud and yelled louder than anyone else.  
"Hey Snivellus, pick on someone your own size! Expelliarmus!"   
"That's James", "That's Peter", Sirius and Remus said at the same time. The boy with the black hair dove after his wand and then ran up towards the castle gates.   
"You arrogant toerag!" A girl with red hair yelled, before she followed him. Everyone else started to break up at once to go towards the castle. 

"Are you two ok?" Remus asked Peter and James. Peter runs up to him and hugs him tightly, even though James had been the one to save him. James just grins at Remus over Peters shoulder. Together they're the last four to enter the great hall.


	6. The great hall "accident"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius lights snapes robes on fire. They're finally sorted.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin," Sirius said.  
"Blimey," said James, "and I thought you seemed all right!"  
Sirius grinned.  
"Maybe I’ll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you’ve got the choice?"  
James lifted an invisible sword.  
"“Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!” Like my dad. What about you, Remus?" Remus stops for a moment, backtracking to his conversation with Peter.  
"Brave sounds great!" He simply said instead, eager to impress his friends. Especially since it seemed Gryffindor was the favourite among them. James and Sirius both nodded approvingly.  
"Mme ttoo" Peter stuttered. No one responded. Remus gave him a reassuring, yet pitiful look.

Their conversation came to a stop when the headmaster himself stood proudly in front of the tables where the teachers sat, eyeing the students.   
"Welcome to another magical year at Hogwarts", he started. And Remus heard muttering among the first years.   
"It's Albus Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard of his age". Sirius bumped his elbow into Remus'.  
"So am I", he said confidently and sent a spark flying from his hand with no incantation. Remus watched as the spark flew across the floor and lit a students cape on fire. The black haired boy from before screamed. 

"Aguamenti!" Dumbledore yells, and a stream of water hits the boy and makes him soaking wet. Remus looks accusingly at Sirius.  
"What, Severus deserved it". He whispered nocholantly.   
"But in front of the headmaster?" Remus whispers back and points to Dumbledore whom is pretending not to notice their bickering and obvious guilt.

Dumbledore simply follows up with "enough chit chat, time for the sorting!" And one by one, the four boys get sorted into gryffindor. One who is meant to be there, two who fights not to get put in slytherin and one who wishes he could be with his newfound friends and not in Ravenclaw.


	7. The staircase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to explore?

"Can't believe we got to share dorms!" Sirius yells loudly as he falls on a beautiful bed that almost seem to swallow him. Remus sits down carefully and is immediately drawn to its softness.   
"If this wasn't Hogwarts, I'd stay in this bed forever". James says on the opposite side of the room.   
"I think I might just ddo that aanyway", said Peter and climbs under the duvet. 

Remus' head lands on the bed and he looks out of the window. The moonlight hits his eyes eerily. As if to give a warning. "I'll find you, no matter where you are", it said. Remus shivers.   
"Remus, what is it?" All three of his friends stare at him when he manages to look away from his hell.   
"Oh nothing". He simply said and sat up. "Hey, you guys wanna explore?" James and Sirius nodded eagerly and jumped out of their beds at the same exact time, as if they were one unit. Peter hesitates.  
"Didn't you want to be more brave, Peter?" Remus asks. And that makes him change his mind.

The four kids fly down the stairs to the commonroom. There is no one around except for the portraits who are all sleeping soundly in their frames. James who has taken the lead, takes the first step onto the wooden floor. It creaks loudly. He stops and everyone freezes. They stay like that for 10 seconds, Remus counts. Nothing happens. They slowly make their way to the entrance. And it opens for them.

"It's ssso dark", Peter whispers as they move further away from the commonroom entrance. "Ssh", James replies. And they all hurry down the stairs in a line. James first, then Sirius and then Remus. Lastly Peter, who hesitated before following them.   
"Come on, I want to find the other dorms!" James exclaims.   
"Gguys?" A voice says in the distance. The three turn around to see Peter floating away from them and onto the plateau opposite of the commonroom one.   
"Just stay there!" Sirius shouts to him.  
"It's bound to come back around, right?"  
But as he says this, the stairs change course again and it ends up on an entirely different floor than before, leaving Peter behind with no way of getting back.

"What do we do?" James asks desperately as Peter really seemed to struggle with the darkness that seemed even more terrifying than before.   
"Keep calm, Peter! We'll come get you! Just breathe!" Remus yells. His voice bounces off every surface.   
"Use lumos, Peter!" Sirius yells into the silence.   
"How do you know lumos?" Remus asks, a little suprised.   
"I get locked in closets a lot". Sirius anwsers nocholantly before demonstrating to Peter how one casts lumos. Remus doesn't say anything, but he takes a mental note of asking Sirius about that later because if anyone could understand being locked up it would be the secret werewolf... or maybe not...

Eventually Peter got the spell right, and in the meantime he got distracted enough so to not go into panic mode. And it did seem to help because he was so excited about making it that he almost didn't notice that the three others had finally found a way up to him.   
"Maybe next time we'll get a little further than the stairs". James says cockily and Sirius immediately repeats what he said mockingly.   
"Yes, maybe, but maybe we should get to know the castle a little first before exploring on our own".   
"Logic will get you everywhere, my good friend". James says and Sirius smirks at Remus proudly.


	8. Nightmare days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus wakes up knowing what's about to happen. That one day of the month feels like a nightmare

Remus woke up shaking and sweating in his bed. He knew which day it was. And he wanted to go to Dumbledores office and tell him that he wanted to go home. But he also knew that he wouldn't be welcome there. At least not today of all days.   
He jumped out of bed as silently as he could because he didn't want to wake the others. Then he put on his most comfortable clothes and tiptoed out, leaving a gap at the door because he knew it creaked when he closed it entirely.

"Hello Mr. Lupin".   
"Professor McGonagall, why are you here, in the gryffindor common room?"   
"The headmaster asked me to go fetch you. I was actually on my way up the stairs to do so". She said.  
Remus looked up the stairs in panic.   
"They don't know".   
"Know what?" She smiled knowingly. He knew she knew and that she was just confirming she wouldn't tell anyone.   
So he followed her out into the now well lit hallway. In the corner of his eye he thought he saw a shadow running back into their room.

In Dumbledores office stood a huge desk. As he entered he could barely see the top of a purple hat, that on further inspection was actually quite long and couldn't be especially useful in any shape or form.   
"Stop staring at my hat, son and instead give focus where focus is due". Remus just nodded and acted like he knew what Dumbledore had said.   
"You'll have to excuse us Minerva, but we have something rather pressing to do today".   
She nodded in response and Dumbledore walked out into the hallway.   
"Come on then". He said to Remus, who still stood beside McGonagall. She pushed him towards the door. Great, he thought. More adults who wanted to tell him what to do and when to do it. Then he took a full turn again when he remembered they were only trying to help him. 

Remus felt as if he was walking in a maze pretty much all the way through the school until he reached the outside. All of a sudden they stood in front of a giant magnificent tree.   
"This, dear Remus, is the whomping willow". Remus takes a few steps forward. The tree lashes out and swoop the feet from right under Remus.   
"Careful, child. This tree is a magical and violent one. There is but one way to enter without agitating it and as luck has it, only I know how". Remus creeps backwards and brushes off his knees as he stands up. This time he follows the professor closely. Before entering the tiny hole, he looks over his shoulder and is almost certain he sees something move, but he brushes it off as a flying branch.


	9. Calm before the storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus finds a way to pass time.

"Here, you'll be safe for the time being, I can assure you". Said Dumbledore as he finished off his incantation. Remus didn't know what it meant.  
"No one will enter, nor will you be able to leave". Remus took a deep breath and held it as the professor spoke.   
"You will find that every essential item is within reach throughout the house". He smiled and nodded.  
"Can you stay here with me?" Remus asked as he finally let his breath go.   
"I am afraid that I do not desire to be eaten quite yet, young man". He said as he turned his back on the child that sat down on the neatly tidied bed.  
"But I will of course be nearby... if something were to happen..." his voice trailed off, but Remus didn't really want to know the rest anyway, so he let the headmaster go.

For a while the boy just sat there, not knowing what to do. But then he did what he thought any boy would do (mostly based on what James, Sirius, Peter and himself would do, as he didn't really know any other boys his age), he went exploring. There wasn't much to see at all in this old and dusty house, until he came across a small stack of books and a small note attached to it.  
"Remus", it read.  
"I picked out some books I thought of good use. Hope you find them entertaining". For a moment he thought it was Dumbledore who had put them there, but it was in fact professor McGonagall to his big suprise. He picked up the first one. It read "fantastic beasts and where to find them". Curious, he opened up to the first page and started reading.


End file.
